A 31-year-old elementary school teacher in Florida is accused of tying a 7-year-old boy non-verbal boy to a chair.
Bradenton Police detectives obtained warrants to arrest a G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School teacher and teacher’s aide for false imprisonment of a seven-year-old, non-verbal student.
Security camera video of the school playground, recorded on Friday, February 2, shows Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher Carina Chindamo, 31, and aide Taylor Internicola, 39, tying the wrists of the boy with a nylon walking rope, a device used to teach students to walk in line.
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The rope was then wrapped around the leg of a chair. The child sat on the ground behind the chair, restrained, for approximately one hour.
At various times in the video, Chindamo and Internicola were observed sitting on the chair, appearing to use their weight to keep the child from getting free.
“This is an active investigation. We are working to determine if there are other victims,” said BPD.
In a statement to the Bradenton Herald, the school said, “The District has been fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this active investigation. All of our protocols have been followed, including the employees’ removal from the classroom immediately after the incident was reported and reassignment to other District locations where students are not present.”
Police say that the teacher’s aide, Taylor Internicola, is not in custody as the investigation continues.
If you have information about this case, contact Detective Dalia Santana at dalia.santana@bradentonpd.com or the Bradenton Police Department at 941-932-9300. Submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at manateecrimestoppers.com or 866-634-8477 (TIPS)
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